Asheville’s Historic English, Scots and Irish Connection

Asheville’s historic English, Scots and Irish connection

So reminiscent of their native homeland, it is little wonder why the English, Scots and Irish felt so much at home in and around the splendid Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. Comments of comfortable stays have been noted in the www.CarolinaMountainRental.com, welcome books. These early settlers left an indelible footprint on the area by handing down a rich source of music and tradition. Noted British and American folklorist found approximately 3,000 British Folk songs preserved in their purest form when they came upon the families of these early settlers. The wonderfully filmed and highly acclaimed movie, The Dream Catcher, aptly illustrated these original songs and the lives of the families that performed them as a natural part of their living tradition.
Famous for its noted author, Thomas Wolf and close connection with other notables such as Carl Sandberg, Asheville and its surrounding area has been a rich harvest for novelists, historians and movie makers alike.
A Hanibal Lechter film starring Anthony Hopkins, Patch Adams starring Robin Williams, and The Last of The Mohicans starring Daniel Day Lewis and The Clearing starring Robert Redford and Helen Mirren were all filmed here.
Asheville, North Carolina, can rightfully boast of its natural beauty, culture, music and art that can be found in abundance and all of this is waiting for the vacationer to discover and enjoy.
There is no shortage of activities for the visitor to pursue while staying in Carolina Mountain Rentals Asheville Cabins and the nearby tourist Town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. Just a short drive from downtown Asheville sits the majestic and architecturally pleasing, Biltmore House whose foundation footprint rests on an impressive wall to wall, 4 acre site making it the largest privately owned home in America. Interestingly, the Cecil family who currently own the property built by George Vanderbilt Cecil are the direct decedents of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 1520-4 August 1598) who was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth 1 of England, daughter of Henry V111, for most of her reign and he was also twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer of England.
The Biltmore Estate boasts an exciting program of events that include horseback trail riding and horse drawn carriage rides and for equestrians who want to bring their own horses, they can purchase, ‘Ride Biltmore’ trail passes that gives access to over 80 miles of beautiful well marked and well maintained trails. Furthermore, The Estate holds the record for the most visited winery in America where visitors can enjoy the fun of tasting samples of the wide ranging varieties of wine produced on the estate.
The timeless Tudoresque buildings of Biltmore Village that sits adjacent to The Biltmore Estate, are reminiscent of something to be found in ye olde England and is well worth a visit if the visitor is looking for that unique vacation memento, gift or just to sit in one of the peaceful coffee or tea rooms to be found there.

Asheville is one of the very few cities of its size, approximately 70,000 people that can boast supporting its own Symphony, Ballet Company and Opera Company, whose performances are more than enough to wet the pallet of the most discerning serious arts connoisseur. No mean feat for a town of this size. Not only can Asheville boast these three serious performing art forms, it is host to many other arts and cultural events held throughout the year including Bele Chere, a yearly street arts festival with musical visitors from all over the world, LEAF (Lake Eden Arts Festival) in Swannanoa and Shindig on the Green. As well as the performing arts, Asheville is home to the acclaimed artist/painter, Vadim Bora.
The French Broad River Walk with its artisan studios are waiting with unique works to amaze and delight its visitors and whilst in this district, be sure to look up the exciting and innovative visual artist, Jonas Gerard.
Hiking on The Blue Ridge Parkway trails include Graveyard Fields Trail, a mountain top hike where tectonic plates once came together underwater and still have remnants of a once sandy bottom. Devil’s Courthouse was labeled by American Indian folklore as a mysterious place. Many trails include patches of wild blueberries to enjoy by a resting rock formation.
-by Peter Collins